SKYHAWK TRACK AND FIELD WRAPS UP INDOOR SEASON AT OVC CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 26, 2017

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The University of Tennessee at Martin track and field squads officially wrapped up the indoor portion of the 2017 season with a strong showing at the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships over the weekend hosted by Eastern Illinois University.

The Skyhawks posted several personal-bests in the event while competing against the conference’s best for indoor supremacy. In the team’s first championship experience since being discontinued following the 2003 season, the Skyhawk women’s squad finished 10th out of 12 programs while the men’s squad placed seventh out of seven in the field.

“The athletes have really impressed this indoor season and we have learned along,” said UT Martin head coach Peter Dalton. “We are looking forward to focusing on racing in the outdoor season.”

UT Martin competed nicely in the women’s 5k in the championship field as Ann Asipan responded well by placing fifth overall and scoring for the Skyhawks with a time of 17:09.9 to pace the squad. Behind the senior speedster was the pair of freshman Lydia Lee (18.21.63) and junior Amelia Martin (18:32.41) who posted huge indoor PRs in their first championship experience.

On the men’s side it was freshman Edwin Kurgat who once against led the way for the Skyhawks, posting a fifth place finish overall while scoring for the squad. Kurgat’s time of 14:42.18 broke the school’s 5k record by over 22 seconds. Another fellow freshman also made a strong push with Marcos Macias setting an indoor PR with a time of 15:08.59 which ranked just four seconds off the previous school mark.

In the sprint distance, junior Joseph Este competed in the men’s 60m by finishing third in his heat with a PR time of 7.09 seconds.

In the women’s DMR the relay of Emma Edmonds, Jasmyn Pilcher, Agok Ayuen and Kara Martin scored for the Skyhawks by notching a fourth place team finish with a time of 12:20.86 – finishing less than a second off the school record. The Skyhawks also posted a fourth place finish in the men’s DMR as the quartet of Austin Rogers, Jonathan Conley, Leonel Perez and Ryan Ford finished at 10:23.21 for a new school record.

Transitioning into the women’s 3k, Asipan once again showed her determination with a second place finish with a time of 9:46.97 which ranked just four seconds off the school record. The freshman duo of Martin (10:05.44) and Edmonds (10:16.19) also rallied for high finishes in the event.

In the men’s 3k, freshman phenom Ryan Ford claimed a spot on the podium with a third place finish with a time of 8:27.23 in his championship debut. Ford’s time broke the program’s previous school record by just over two seconds. Rogers, a fellow freshman, also fared well in the event by finishing seventh with a time of 8:32.37.

Junior Jonathan Conley also posted a strong impression in the championship by automatically qualifying for the finals by winning his heat on Friday before placing eighth in the finals in the men’s 800m with a time of 2:00.32.

UT Martin will open the outdoor track and field portion of the season on Friday, March 18-19 at the Rhodes College Invite.